- Kalasa-Bhanduri Project: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) recently deferred the decision on diverting forest land from the Kali and Sahyadri tiger reserves for the construction of a part of the Karnataka government’s Kalasa-Bhanduri Project. The project involves the construction of dams and a canal system to divert water from the Mahadayi River, located in Goa, to the Malaprabha River (a tributary of the Krishna River) basin in Karnataka. The main goal of the project is to meet the drinking water needs of the districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, and Gadag in Karnataka. Though the project was first proposed in the early 1980s, it has remained on paper owing to a dispute between Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. As per plans, barrages are to be built against Kalasa and Bhanduri streams— tributaries of Mahadayi — and water diverted towards Karnataka’s parched districts.
- Mahadayi River: It rises in the Western Ghats from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district. The river travels35 km in Karnataka, and 82 km in Goa before joining the Arabian Sea at Panaji (North Goa).Also called Mandovi in Goa, Mahadayi is a rain-fed river that is shared between Karnataka and Goa for their water needs. The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is located on theisland of Chorao in the Mandovi River. Major Tributaries: Kalasa Nala, Bhanduri Nala, Surla Nala, Haltar Nala, Poti Nala, Mahadayi Nala, Pansheer Nala, Bail Nala and Andher Nala.
- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) : It was established under an Act of Parliament in 1990.It is the Principal Financial Institution engaged in the promotion, financing & development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) sector and the coordination of the functions of the various institutions engaged in similar activities.
Objective: To offer loans (both direct and indirect) to MSMEs to help in addressing the development and financial gaps in the ecosystem of MSMEs. It helps MSMEs in acquiring the funds they require to grow the market, develop and commercialise their technologies and innovative products. It was made responsible for administering the Small Industries Development Fund and National Equity Fund.
- Fund of Funds Scheme: The Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme was approved and established in 2016 with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore,
Funding to startups: Under FFS, the Scheme does not directly invest in startups, instead provides capital to SEBI-registered AIFs, known as daughter funds, who in turn invest money in growing Indian startups through equity and equity-linked instruments.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been given the mandate of operating this Fund through selection of suitable daughter funds and overseeing the disbursal of committed capital. AIFs supported under FFS are required to invest at least 2 times of the amount committed under FFS in startups.
